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• Suriname's Robinhood, Dom Rep's Atletico Pantoja vie for second Group B semis berth

  Suriname side Robinhood will be looking to seal their spot in the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club semifinals when they take on Atletico Pantoja of the Dominican Republic in what is expected to be an intriguing Groub B showdown at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, o Thursday.

  Robinhood currently sit in second position on six points, just one point behind leaders Harbour View of Jamaica, while Atletico Pantoja remain alive in the hunt for a semifinal berth, in fourth place on three points.

  Robinhood can guarantee their semifinal place with a draw and could even capture group honours with a win, provided Harbour View drop points in their fixture against Cibao FC, also of the Dominican Republic.

  However, an Atletico Pantoja win by a two-goal margin, would be enough to send them through to the Caribbean Cup semifinals ahead of Robinhood.

  Needless to say, the night should provide plenty of great drama with so much at stake.

  Robinhood have been buoyed by striker Shaquille Cairo, who has four goals in the tournament, making him the joint top-scorer along with Shaniel Thomas of Cavalier.

  Cairo has been as consistent as they come, scoring in all three of Robinhood’s games and has gotten help from Tuur Don, who has two assists. Jamilhio Rigters also has contributed after scoring in their last outing, a 3-2 loss to Harbour View.

  Atletico Pantoja have played to three straight 1-1 draws in the group, so they will need to break that streak with a full three points if they are to advance.

  Jhon Mosquera has played a vital role as playmaker with two assists, while Ronaldo Vasquez has been one of the most active players in attack with 10 shots and 84 completed passes, along with two ball recoveries.

• Ja's Harbour View takes aim at Dom Rep's Cibao FC with Group B honours in sight

  Jamaica's Harbour View will be looking to complete their mission of a first-place finish in Group B of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, when they visit Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic at the Estadio Cibao in Santiago de los Caballeros, on Thursday.

  Harbour View sit atop the group with seven points and have already clinched their spot in the semifinals, but they will need a victory at Cibao to assure themselves of group honours.

  The East Kingston-based club has been excellent in the competition, opening with a 1-0 win against fellow Jamaican side Dunbeholden, before a 1-1 draw against Atletico Pantoja of the Dominican Republic, and an exciting 3-2 win versus Suriname’s Robinhood.

  Cibao opened with a point in a 1-1 draw with Atletico Pantoja but have suffered back-to-back defeats since then. However, the opportunity is there to end on a high note.

  Facundo Guichon has shown that he can find the back of the net, having scored against Dunbeholden, while Jean Lopez has an assist and leads the team in ball recoveries (8) and passes (186).

  Harbour View will counter with the dynamic duo of Omar Thompson and Shaquiel Bradford. Thompson has scored in two successive games, while Bradford bagged a second half brace to spearhead Harbour View’s comeback win versus Robinhood.

• Ben Stokes doubtful for England World Cup opener with hip injury

  Ben Stokes has emerged as an injury doubt for England’s World Cup curtain-raiser against New Zealand on Thursday, with a sore hip placing question marks over his place.

  Stokes reversed his year-long retirement from ODI cricket in order to help defend the title he helped secure in 2019, despite concerns over his long-term fitness.

  The 32-year-old has been struggling with a chronic knee condition in recent years and was selected as a specialist batter for the tournament after deciding to spare his body the rigours of bowling.

  But on the eve of the opening match at the cavernous Narendra Modi Stadium, the biggest cricket venue on the planet with a capacity of more than 130,000, he was still being assessed.

  Stokes has not played since smashing 182 against the Black Caps on September 13 and was the only squad member to play no part in this week’s warm-up victory over Bangladesh.

  Captain Jos Buttler, speaking ahead of his side’s final training session, said: “He’s got a slight niggle with his hip, but fingers crossed that it’ll be good news for us. We’ll see.

  “He’s working hard with the physios and we’ll know more when the guys arrive for training.

  “We’ll make the right call. If he’s not fit to play, he’s not fit to play. If he is, we can make that decision.

  “It’s not the time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. Nearer the end, maybe you do take more of a risk with people’s injuries but it’s going to be a long tournament.”